Mossberg: Palm Pre Review or iPhone News Leak?

The grand old uncle of technology reviewers, Walter Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal loves him some iPhone. Indeed, ever since Apple's little pocket universe-denter came out in 2007, it seems Mossberg can't review another, similar device without mentioning the iPhone as much as the subject du jour.

I’d note that the new iPhone to be unveiled next week will have lots of added features

Apple has both a new iPhone operating system and new iPhone hardware coming, likely available within a month

I expect to see an iPhone with up to 32 gigabytes of memory, video recording, a higher-resolution camera, a compass, and greater operating speed. Plus, there are persistent rumors that Apple will announce at least one iPhone at a drastically lower price than $199.

My prediction is that he has a handset with the 3.0 software running right now but he'll have the new device in a few weeks because Apple will release 3.0 after the WWDC keynote and the new iPhone a month later. If my premise is true then Walt likely has a iPhone 3G running the 3.0 software and knows 'things'. The hardware part of his comments is investigative journalism.

It was more like Pogue gave the Pre a very good review. He also did a lot of iPhone comparison, but it seemed to be an honest review.
I would have loved some comparisons to BlackBerry storm as well. The thing that most struck me as odd was Pogue portraying Palm as David and Apple as Goliath when two years ago it was Apple that was the David character.
The entire Palm organization owes Apple a huge debt of gratitude, if the Pre is successful. Not just for grabbing up Rube and other Apple folks, but for shaking the whole industry up and giving them something to shoot for: a baseline, a model, a target.
Ed Colligan shrugged off the iPhone, saying 'PC guys are not going to just figure this out'. I believe that Palm would be in even more dire straights without the iPhone.

@Chris
Four years ago Palm announced they had begun development on a Linux based platform, 2 years ago it was given the code name NOVA. The original Pre was suppose to launch June of last year. Months prior to that launch Rubinstein scrapped it because the Pre did not have a capacitive screen. If anything Apple owes Palm, a lot of ex Palm folks left for Apple in the late 90's.

@oneAwake: Keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better. The Palm Pre would have been DOA if not for the defecting Apple staff joining Palm and TRASHING what they had been working on and start a complete DO OVER. This was long after the iPhone was launched.

Re: oneAwake:
Many of those Palm Linux initiatives were just initiatives. They mean absolutely nothing if JR came in and gutted whole pieces of the project--and not just the screen hardware was touched upon JR and other's arrival.
Palm has suffered an intense lack of focus, not unlike Apple in the 90s. Being a treo and gadget fan I saw nothing over the last 3 years remotely encouraging from Palm. I am rooting for them and don't hate at all ( if you pardon the fact that I am not big fan of MS or RIM--those products are fine for others though.) I am though, highly skeptical that the Pre would look anything like it is today without the impact of the iPhone.
I will acknowledge that employees will go from one tech company to another in waves.

@Evilhomer
Keep telling myself what? It is fact!! The only difference between the original Pre and the one launching June 6th is the screen. Palm has been making phones much longer than Apple, they know what they're doing. The only bump in the road was, when Palm was PalmOne, the company was actually operating as two separate companies, only recently did Palm get back on track. WebOS is a complete change of Palms business model. So you're saying Linux should thank Apple? GTFO!!!

@ oneAwake. WTF? You mean to tell me that if Apple hadn't come along and created the iPhone then Palm would have created the multitouch screen, an appstore, an accelerometer, a proximity sensor and a shitload of other features by themselves? Yeah, keep telling yourself that. Keep telling yourself that Apple didn't revolutionize the phone industry.